In our previous blog post, we discussed a few of the ways that you can prepare your devices, accounts and passwords to take your digital life on the road while on vacation. In addition to preparing the logistical details of your trip, it’s also necessary to plan what you’re going to do online while you’re on the road. If you have a plan and a schedule for updating your social media accounts in advance, you may not even need to log on to your accounts after you hit the road – there are services available that can post to your accounts automatically. For other tasks, you may need to consider the integrity and security of the local networks you will be utilizing to access the Internet while on the road.
For Simple Social Media Updates, Try A Social Media Dashboard
Social media dashboard services like Hootsuite offer a convenient way to update multiple social media services at the same time and schedule updates in advance. The ability to schedule updates in advance for social media can prove to be an extremely valuable service, depending on how often others engage with your social media posts. For instance, if you rarely if ever receive comments or mentions on social media networks, and if your company doesn’t actively utilize social media services to address customer service requests, than scheduling your updates in advance could be a great solution. However, simply scheduling updates automatically may not be an optimal solution if you frequently have to address comments and mentions from current or prospective customers, and it may prove to be disastrous if your customers are used to having customer service issues addressed in a timely manner over social media. If your accounts are posting your blogs and updates but you are neglecting to reply to messages, your customers may think you are choosing to ignore them.
Don’t Let Social Media Or Content Marketing Ruin Your Vacation
If your responsibilities include updating social media or creating content marketing while you’re on vacation, consider the impact that such work will have on your leisure time and recreational activities – you may want to complete as much of the work as possible in advance. Once you are away from the office, and especially if you are vacationing in a relaxing, inviting locale or you’re spending time with friends and family, you may find it incredibly hard to pull yourself away and complete work that could have been completed in advance. Additionally, if you are planning on consuming alcohol while on vacation, possibly in a manner or on a schedule more relaxed than you would normally follow at home, having to complete work can become impossible, and posting to social media while under the influence of alcohol can be disastrous.
Get Your Work Done Before You Leave
If you are reluctant to delegate social media or content marketing to one of your partners or employees, it may be necessary to work overtime in advance of your vacation to complete as much work as possible. Additionally, if you fear that you may accidentally or inadvertently post to your company’s social media accounts while under the influence of alcohol, consider leaving your devices behind or logging out of your accounts once you have completed your work.
Consider Using A More Secure Network
While travelling, there are essentially two methods for accessing the Internet – you can opt to connect through a cellular network or through local Wi-Fi networks, and each method has distinct advantages and disadvantages.
Connecting Through A Cellular Network
The main benefit of connecting to the Internet through a cellular network is security – cellular hotspots and USB modems allow you to securely login to your cellular network without any third-party equipment or services in the middle, which greatly reduces the possibility that a hacker will compromise your connection and steal your data. Additionally, depending on the location and the cellular network, a cellular connection may be faster than any local Wi-Fi networks. However, the primary disadvantage of connecting to a cellular network is cost – it may be expensive to burn through a significant amount of cellular data while on vacation, and hotspots and USB modems require an upfront purchase.
Connecting Through Local Wi-Fi Networks
Local Wi-Fi networks, including networks in airports, airplanes, hotels and restaurants can be accessed for a reasonable rate, and sometimes even for free. However, accessing a public Wi-Fi network can post significant risks, as hackers have a variety of ways of compromising your connection to the Wi-Fi router or the router itself. Furthermore, public Wi-Fi networks can be unreliable, which can be problematic when facing a deadline.
How Will You Connect To The Internet?
Which solution is right for you? It primarily depends on the work you’re doing and the sensitivity of the accounts and services you are accessing away from home. For simple, light work such as short social media updates, it may be unnecessary to login through a cellular network, but if your job requires you to access sensitive customer information, it is likely necessary that you will need to utilize a more secure cellular connection.